Marcum & Wallace Memorial Hospital

Marcum & Wallace Memorial Hospital has been selected to receive the special recognition at the 2006 Estill Development Alliance Hall of Honor. The idea for a hospital to serve Estill, Jackson, Lee, Owsley and Powell Counties arose in 1949 when a group of local business owners, public officials and others acted on their concern related to inadequate medical care for area residents. In 1959, the Estill County Fiscal Court and the City of Irvine jointly sponsored the construction of the Estill County Hospital. Following construction of the building, the sponsors found funds for equipment and operation exhausted. The officials searched for a group to operate the hospital, approaching several religious entities that were unable to take on the responsibility. Finally, the Benedictine Sisters of Covington, Kentucky accepted the request. On May 6, 1959 the Benedictine Sisters signed a 99 year lease to operate the hospital. Sister Callista Flanigan, OSP, served as the administrator of the hospital. Some local residents resisted the idea of the religious- based health care facility. Just weeks after the Benedictine Sisters arrived in Estill County to prepare for the hospital’s opening a group of citizens filed suit to prevent them from running the hospital The protesters argues that the partnership violated the separation of church and state. Over the next three years, the case moved all the way to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the Benedictine Sisters held firm through threats ranging from thrown rocks to men with guns. In October 1962, the Supreme Court ruled in the sister’s favor and the decision made national news. Even under the difficult circumstances, the hospital had opened its doors on September 9, 1959. The first patient admitted to the hospital delivered a baby girl. Over the next 20 years, the Estill County Hospital flourished and underwent several changes and expansions. In 1980, the hospital became Marcum & Wallace Memorial Hospital in honor of four physicians: S. Glenn Marcum, M.D.; Virginia Wallace Lewis, M.D.; Cornelius Marcum, M.D.; and Tracy Wallace, M.D. In 1986, at the request of the Benedictine Community, the hospital lease agreement was transferred to the Mercy Health System and later partnered with several other sponsors to form Catholic Healthcare Partners. Recently, Marcum & Wallace memorial Hospital completed a $4,800,000 renovation and it continues a commitment to quality health care for the area.